Lake Winfield Scott

Infobox_lake
lake_name = Lake Winfield Scott
image_lake = Lake_Winfield_Scott.jpeg‎
caption_lake =
image_bathymetry =
caption_bathymetry =
location = Union County, Georgia
coords = coord|34.7406|N|83.9757|W|type:waterbody_region:US-GA|display=inline,title
type = reservoir
inflow =
outflow = Cooper Creek
catchment =
basin_countries = United States
length =
width =
area = convert|18|acre|ha|abbr=on
depth =
max-depth =
volume =
residence_time =
shore =
elevation = convert|2854|ft|m|abbr=on
islands =
cities =

Lake Winfield Scott is an 18 acre mountain pond located convert|10|mi|km south of Blairsville, Georgia in Union County. [Brown (1996), p. 97] The lake, which is owned and managed by the U.S. Forest Service, is the source of Cooper Creek. It is the centerpiece of the Forest Service's Lake Winfield Scott Recreation Area, a park which includes hiking, fishing, boating and other outdoor activities. At convert|2854|ft|m elevation it is one of Georgia's highest altitude lakes. [cite web
last =
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Lake Winfield Scott Fishing in Union County, Georgia
work =
publisher = Fishing Works
date =
url = http://www.fishingworks.com/lakes/georgia/union/neels-gap/lake-winfield-scott/
format =
accessdate = 2008-01-22 ] The various habitats surrounding the lake support a wide assortment of plants and animals.

History

Completed in early 1942, Lake Winfield Scott is a man-made reservoir created as part of the Civilian Conservation Corps' efforts to establish recreational areas in north Georgia. It was the final CCC project in Georgia and one of the last in the nation, completed just after the United States' entry into World War II.cite web
last =
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Lake Winfield Scott
work =
publisher = Georgiatrails.com
date =
url = http://georgiatrails.com/places/winfieldscott.html
format =
accessdate = 2008-01-20 ] It is located in the southern Blue Ridge Mountains near Blood Mountain.

The lake was named after General Winfield Scott, a 19th century United States Army general, diplomat, and presidential candidate. Known as "Old Fuss and Feathers" and the "Grand Old Man of the Army", Scott was a hero of the Mexican-American War and the first American since George Washington to hold the rank of lieutenant general. [ [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=54828930 Elliott (1937)] ]

By the late 17th century the Cherokee and Creek had begun to compete for the same resources and fought a battle at nearby Slaughter Gap. The Creek lost, ceding the Blood Mountain area to the Cherokee, who considered it a holy place. Archaeological evidence has been discovered that tends to back the story of the battle, but the date of the battle and its participants are still disputed. [See, for example, Brown (1996), p. 93]

In 1838, the American Indians were removed from the area by General Winfield Scott and forced westward along the "Trail of Tears." Farmers moved in later, and by the 1880s lumber companies began logging the area. On May 14, 1938, the lake was first opened to the public as part of the Forest Service's multiple-use plan for administering the Chatahoochee National Forest for the "greatest good for the greatest number of people." [cite news
last =
first =
coauthors =
title = Mountain Lake To Open Today As Playground
work = The Atlanta Constitution
pages = 8B
language =
publisher =
date = May 15, 1938
url =
accessdate = ] During the 1990s, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers rebuilt and strengthened the lake's dam. [cite news
last = Brack
first = Elliott
coauthors =
title = Fires abate, but mountains need a good rain
work = The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
pages = 4JJ
language =
publisher = Cox Newspapers
date = November 24, 1999
url =
accessdate = ]

Location and surroundings

Lake Winfield Scott is 4.5 miles east of Suches on Highway 180 and 7.1 miles west of U.S. Highway 19/129 near Vogel State Park. [Pfitzer (2006), p. 76] Two roads provide access to the park, although the north entrance is only for lake access. The south entrance leads to the campgrounds, hiking trails and lakeshore facilities. The hardwood forests surrounding the lake and in Sosebee Gap offer brilliant autumn displays, making it a popular destination during the leaf season. [cite news
last = Seabrook
first = Charles
coauthors =
title = Take time to see splendor of fall
work = The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
pages = 3MS
language =
publisher = Cox Newspapers
date = October 16, 2005
url =
accessdate = ]

Wildlife and flora

Like the rest of the southern Blue Ridge Mountains, the area surrounding the lake consists of many valleys, ridges and mountains formed by repeated plate tectonic movement and collisions, starting with the Grenville Orogeny nearly 1.5 billion years ago. [Alder (1999), pp. 16-17] The resulting landscape created diverse topology containing many different species of plants and animal. Much of the area is similar to Pennsylvania in climate, vegetation and wildlife. [Brown (1998), p. 106] The lake is near the southern limit for Eastern hemlock and Eastern white pine. Coves in the area vary by elevation and topography, with second-growth oak and hickory more common in lower-lying areas. Forests surrounding the lake contain rich, high-altitude flora including rare wildflowers and ferns, such as Persistent Trillium, which grows near "Rhododrendron". [Brown (1998), p. 106] Boulderfields near Sosebee Cove include Dutchman's breeches, squirrel corn, waterleaf and other herbacious plants.

The lake area is populated with white tail deer, grouse and raccoon. [cite news
last = Naylor
first = June
coauthors =
title = America's first gold rush was in Georgia; Everythings slow in Dahlonega these days
work = The Gazette (Motreal, Quebec)
pages = 13
language =
publisher =
date = January 9, 1993
url =
accessdate = ] The deer population, which was extirpated by 1895, has rebounded since re-introduction by park ranger Arthur Woody during the 1930s. [Brown (1998), p. 106)] Over 100 species of birds inhabit or migrate through the area, including native songbirds such as the Canada, Blackburnian, Black-throated Blue, Black-throated Green and Chestnut-sided warblers. Also found are hawks, owls, woodpeckers, kinglets, thrushes, vireos, cuckoos, phoebes, chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, brown creepers, wrens, tanagers, grosbeaks, indigo buntings and red crossbills. [See Brown (1999) for additional details] Migratory species are present during the late spring and early fall, making the area popular among birdwatchers. [cite web
last = Beaton
first = Giff
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Neels' Gap to Lake Winfield Scott
work = Birding Georgia
publisher = Trails.com
date =
url = http://www.trails.com/tcatalog_trail.asp?trailid=XFA039-007
format =
accessdate = 2008-01-22 ] The creeks surrounding the lake are rich with different species of salamanders. [See Brown (1998) for details on amphibians living around the Blood Mountain, Lake Winfield Scott and Sosebee Cove areas]

Recreation

The recreational area encompassing the lake includes camping, picnicking, boating, fishing and a variety of hiking trails. Motorcyclists refer to the area as the starting point of "The Georgia Triangle", a scenic riding circuit beginning on Highway 180. [cite journal
last = Buonpasore
first = Philip
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = North Georgia colors: spectacular roads and scenery in the Southeast
journal = Rider
volume = 34
issue = 4
pages = 62–67
publisher =
date = April 1, 2007
id = ISSN 1522-9726
accessdate = ]

Fishing, boating and swimming

The small lake is a local favorite for fishing. Lake Winfield Scott is stocked with rainbow trout and also contains local species of warmwater fish such as largemouth bass and sunfish. [Nutt (2002), p. 23] Also on the lake are a boat ramp, boat dock and swimming area with a sand beach. The Forest Service allows only man-powered and electric-powered watercraft on the lake.

Camping and hiking trails

The recreational area has camping loops offer 36 campsites, including 21 which can accommodate tents and RVs; these sites provide utility hook-ups. There is also a group camping area which accommodates up to 25 people. [Nutt (2002), pp. 23-24] The area houses comfort stations with flush toilets and showers. There is also one cabin available for rental. The recreational area includes a children's playground nad picnic sites. The campground is open spring through fall and is administered by the USFS's Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest/Blue Ridge Ranger District.

There are three trails at the lake. The convert|0.4|mi|km|sing=on Lake Winfield Scott Trail circles around the lake shore. This easy trail [Pfitzer (2006) rates the Lake Winfield Scott Trail as "easy"] has portions which are wheelchair accessible. Jarrad Gap Trail and Slaughter Gap Trail share a common trailhead, located on the lake's southern tip. Both are approach trails to the nearby Appalachian Trail and are marked with blue blazes.

Slaughter Creek Trail passes through a hardwood forest on the south bank of Slaughter Creek for most of its distance, following a series of old roadbeds. It climbs convert|1000|ft|m over its convert|2.7|mi|km|sing=on path to Slaughter Gap (elevation 3,920 feet), where it intersects the Appalachian Trail at the base of Blood Mountain. [Homan (2001), pp. 104-105] [Pfitzer (2006), pp. 78-79] The trail passes through thickets of mountain laurel and rosebay rhododendron along the way, and crosses the creek at one point. Also present are excellent spring wildflower habitats. The summit of Blood Mountain is convert|1.4|mi|km from Slaughter Gap along the Appalachian Trail.

Jarrard Creek Trail is an easy to moderate hike [Pfitzer (2006) rates the Jarrard Creek Trail as "easy to moderate"] which leads southward convert|1.2|mi|km to Jarrard Gap (elevation 3,300 feet) on the Appalachian Trail. [Pfitzer (2006), p. 78] It follows Lances Branch creek through second-growth hardwood forests. Jarrard Creek Trail can be combined with trails can be combined with Slaughter Creek Trail and a 2.1-mile section of the Appalachian Trail to form a six-mile loop hike that starts and ends at the lake. [cite web
last = Logue
first = Victoria
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Weekend Backpacker: Atlanta. Peachy Overnight Escapes in Georgia
work =
publisher = Gorp.com
date =
url = http://gorp.away.com/gorp/location/ga/ww_atlanta.htm
format =
accessdate = 2008-01-24 ]

Notes

References

*cite book
last = Alden
first = Peter
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = National Audubon Society Field Guide to the Southeastern States
publisher = Chanticleer Press
date = 1999
location = New York
id = ISBN 0-679-44683-4

*cite book
last = Brown
first = Fred
authorlink =
coauthors = Nell Jones
title = The Georgia Conservancy's Guide to The North Georgia Mountains (3rd ed.)
publisher = Longstreet Press
date = 1996
location = Atlanta, GA
id = ISBN 1-56352-314-0

* Elliott, Charles Winslow (1937). [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=54828930 "Winfield Scott: The Soldier and the Man"] . New York: MacMillan.

*cite book
last = Homan
first = Tim
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = The Hiking Trails of North Georgia
publisher = Peachtree Publishing
date = 2001
location = Atlanta
id = ISBN 978-1-56145-127-2

*cite book
last = Nutt
first = Alex
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Camping Georgia
publisher = Falcon Press
date = 2002
location = Helena, MT
id = ISBN 0-7627-1077-2

*cite book
last = Pfitzer
first = Donald
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Hiking Georgia
publisher = Morris Book Publishing/Falcon
date = 2006
location = Helena, MT
id = ISBN 0-7627-3642-9

External links

* [http://www.fs.fed.us/conf/lkwncmp.htm Lake Winfield Scott, Campground and Recreational Area] , USDA Forest Service website.
*
*cite web
last =
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Lake Winfield Scott Fishing in Union County, Georgia
work =
publisher = Fishingworks.com
date =
url = http://www.fishingworks.com/lakes/georgia/union/neels-gap/lake-winfield-scott/
format =
accessdate = 2008-01-21